Hamline men's basketball team returns to action Wednesday

The Hamline men's basketball team will return to action Wednesday night for the first time since the school announced sweeping punishments in conjunction with an alleged assault on a woman after the team's New Year's Eve game against Whitworth University in Spokane, Wash.

School officials confirmed on Tuesday that the 7:30 p.m. home game against St. Olaf will proceed as scheduled. The team forfeited its scheduled game last Saturday at Gustavus.

On Friday, the school announced it had suspended head coach Nelson Whitmore indefinitely, dismissed freshman Eugene Lawrence from the team, and suspended 14 other players for unspecified lengths of time. Lawrence, accused of punching a woman in the face and causing multiple facial fractures, was released to the custody of his parents in Louisiana, the school said.

Hamline did not provide any updates on the statuses of Whitmore or the 14 suspended players, though it is believed players will serve their suspensions at different times in order for Hamline to have enough participants to compete.